Product Description

What are the causes of war? To answer this question, Professor Waltz examines the ideas of major thinkers throughout the history of Western civilization. He explores works both by classic political philosophers, such as St. Augustine, Hobbes, Kant, and Rousseau, and by modern psychologists and anthropologists to discover ideas intended to explain war among states and related prescriptions for peace.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90398 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 263 pages

Review
"In this thoughtful inquiry into the views of classical political theory on the nature and causes of war, Professor Waltz follows three principal themes or images: war as a consequence of the nature and behavior of man, as an outcome of their internal organization of states, and as a product of international anarchy." -- Foreign Affairs "Despite the changes in the world, the text stands as a classic effort to explain why men and nations fight." -- Military Review

About the Author
Kenneth N. Waltz is a recipient of the James Madison Award for distinguished scholarly contributions to political science from the American Political Science Association. He is Ford Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and is now at the Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. He is the author of Foreign Policy and Democratic Politics, Theory of International Politics, and coauthor of The Spread of Nuclear Weapons.

Customer Reviews

An interesting history of thought on the causes of war
I read this book for a course in international relations.

I found it a fascinating history and analysis of different theories of the causes of war.

This book should not be described as either 'neo-realist' or simplistic. I believe it's more similar to classical realism or the 'English school'

I think those reviewers who described it as simplistic or neo-realist are confusing it with Waltz's later work. It was his 'Theory of International relations' that became more reductionist and simplistic and claimed that domestic politics was irrelevant to foreign policy.

In 'Man, the State and War' by contrast he provides a history of different views on the causes of war - human nature , the form of government (e.g democracies/republics thought to be less likely to start wars than dictatorships/monarchies) , or the nature of the international system (anarchic in the sense that there is no authority or power above states to judge which is the aggressor and punish aggressors).

He clearly states in the conclusion that while he thinks the last of the three is the major cause the firt and second also play a role.

I may disagree with this conclusion (I believe the second factor and especially culture and assumptions about war to be at least as important) Waltz never claims - at least in this book - that the international system is the sole cause of war.

The foundations of Neorealism are found with Waltz
Written as a doctoral thesis some 45 years ago, Kenneth Waltz's MAN, THE STATE AND WAR continues to be a staple in the field of international relations theory. Waltz's groundbreaking piece is a thorough analysis of the difficulties associated with the war-peace continuum. Through his exhaustive research of some noted theorists such as Thucydides, Morgenthau and others, Waltz articulates the need to look beyond the individual and state level causes of war, and look to the system for the answers. MAN, THE STATE AND WAR continues the tradition of realism through its emphasis of a state centric system and by analysing the field of international politics through power arrangements. Where Waltz goes beyond the classical realist is through his assertion of the importance of systemic influences in international politics. His later work, THEORY OF INTRENATIONAL POLITICS is a much more indepth analysis into the need for a structural theory of politics, however this piece lays the groundwork for all other material. For students of international politics, or for those who are interested in deeper questions as to why world politics sometimes does not seem to make much sense, Waltz will provide you with some answers in an articulate and interesting fashion. Despite its relative age, it still bears reading today.

A classic, showing its age
This book was written when International Relations was in its infancy and I find myself hoping that such a book is a relic of past times and not representative of current standards of IR scholarship - as a philosophy masters student who takes in interest in IR theory, I found myself tripping over bad theorising/argumentation on almost every page. Statements instead of arguments. Conclusions plucked out of thin air. It's interesting, but doesn't deserve its reputation as a classic. If anything, it's success demonstrates the lack of quality literature to act as competition. A museum piece - worth reading to see 'how we used to live'/'what doctoral students used to be able to get away with'...